An Internet-Based GIS Platform Providing Data for Visualization and Spatial Analysis of Urbanization in Major Asian and African Cities

Rapid urbanization in developing countries has been observed to be relatively high in the last two decades, especially in the Asian and African regions. Although many researchers have made efforts to improve the understanding of the urbanization trends of various cities in Asia and Africa, the absence of platforms where local stakeholders can visualize and obtain processed urbanization data for their specific needs or analysis, still remains a gap. In this paper, we present an Internet-based GIS platform called MEGA-WEB. The Platform was developed in view of the urban planning and management challenges in developing countries of Asia and Africa due to the limited availability of data resources, effective tools, and proficiency in data analysis. MEGA-WEB provides online access, visualization, spatial analysis, and data sharing services following a mashup framework of the MEGA-WEB Geo Web Services (GWS), with the third-party map services using HTML5/JavaScript techniques. Through the integration of GIS, remote sensing, geo-modelling, and Internet GIS, several indicators for analyzing urbanization are provided in MEGA-WEB to give diverse perspectives on the urbanization of not only the physical land surface condition, but also the relationships of population, energy use, and the environment. The design, architecture, system functions, and uses of MEGA-WEB are discussed in the paper. The MEGA-WEB project is aimed at contributing to sustainable urban development in developing countries of Asia and Africa

A Migration Analysis of Demographic Transitions in the Upper-Midwest from 2006-2010

Rural communities in the Upper-Midwest are essential for contributions to agriculture, oil and development of economic networks to larger towns and cities. Concerning rural population stability and transitions, this research study aims to discover complex migration flows by constructing specified groups of Upper-Midwest regions (i.e., Bakken oil, Taconite iron, high agriculture, developing area of rural depopulation and Interstate 94). Research questions on migrant distributions will be answered by investigating (in-) and (out-) flow data by demographic characteristics (e.g., age, gender and ethnicity) on a county-to-county level. By weighing total demographic populations, a more accurate representation of migration trends called Crude Net-Migration Rates (CNMR) are utilized as the primary variables with desired spatial statistical methods (Global and Local Moran’s I index). Global and Local Moran’s I Index detects the strength of spatial patterns (i.e., cluster, dispersed or random) and reveals areas of statistical significance related to human mobility all within a Geographic Information System (GIS) context. Results show a connection of pertinent demographic attributes with certain regional migrations: (a) young adults and males generally move to the Taconite iron region or agricultural areas to attain jobs in demand, and (b) higher percentages of females, college-aged and Asian migrants, frequently move to counties with a sizeable university or larger metropolitan. This examination of regional migration flows in a geographical perception identifies types of current migration events and leads to speculation of causes and effects. This research can be further applied to investigate additional findings by limiting the scope to a smaller area with defined spatial units and correlation of new or past time-series data to indicate potential migration flows

Smart urban development suitability analysis based on power utility infrastructure capacity : a case of City of Johannesburg

Abstract: The assessment and understanding of spatial energy patterns play a critical contribution for the overall planning of smart-energy efficiency solutions within cities. This study therefore seeks to project a model that structures the City of Johannesburg’s planning efforts to practice smart spatial energy initiatives of optimization and efficiency regarding the power utility sector in relation to the city growth. In doing this, the background pertaining to the city’s efforts in adopting smart energy principle was key in overseeing the general status quo and exertions. Overlapping from this was the assessment of the synergy between land use and form with spatial energy. Using three time-series satellite scenes (Landsat TM (2000 and 2008) and ETM+ (2017)), clarification pertaining to how the city had developed in relation to the spatial energy was possible and key as the projection of where future growth was most likely to take place, was invigorated and to an extent, informed the subsequent modelling analysis. The analysis of the data revealed the efforts of the city in attaining smart energy principles, however, these efforts lack institutional support across all spheres. Additional analysis regarding the synergy of land use and built form in relation to the city’s spatial energy point out to how the majority of the built form within Region F is under-capacitated. Most of the densified land uses are central – with Region D accounting the most. This has serious implications regarding future energy supply and demand dynamics that the city has to address. The model with the urban growth projection for the year 2047 was generated using the IDRISI software. This served as a functional framework for the model and the growth generated was predominantly densely central and located towards the northern regions where access to power was abundant and efficient. The overall findings of the research seek to provide contributions to the field of urban planning in understanding the dynamics between spatial energy and urban growth.M.A. (Sustainable Urban Planning and Development

A Spatial Assessment of the GO bg Transit Services in Bowling Green, Kentucky

The decision to live in a particular place, accept a job at a distant location, where to go shopping or purchase groceries, and many other similar decisions are all largely influenced by the availability of transportation. As such, it is important that everyone who requires transportation can have access. However, certain population segments, such as low income earners, are less likely to own cars due to the cost involved. There are others who may be impaired physically or have other difficulties that may prevent them from driving. Access to transportation is essential for people of all backgrounds and social statuses. Public transportation is therefore put in place by some cities to enhance the mobility and accessibility of commuters. This study assesses the services of the GO bg public transit service in Bowling Green, Kentucky, to determine how well its services meet the transportation needs of some population sub-groups in the city. A number of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) techniques, including service area analysis, intersect, areal proportion, and demand mapping, were employed in assessing the existing transit routes and stops, and the extent to which certain demographic groups, such as African Americans, Hispanics, seniors aged 65 and older, and low-income households, were served. The study also used spatial proximity to determine accessibility options from transit stops for transit riders. In this study, accessibility was determined based on the available destinations of some basic consumer necessities in the study area such as health, education, shopping, and recreation. The results of this study suggest that the GO bg transit service on the whole has a reasonable level of coverage, particularly within five-minute and seven-minute walking distances. It also provides acceptable accessibility to major activity centers such as health centers, higher educational institutions, grocery stores, and other places of basic needs, and most of these centers are within five-minute walking distance from the current bus stops. Findings from this study should help the management of public transit services in the study area and improve the provision of transit services to meet the transportation needs of vulnerable members of the community, such as transit dependent individuals. In addition, it could also contribute to the rather limited literature on studies of public transportation in small U.S. cities

Open Mapping towards Sustainable Development Goals

This collection amplifies the experiences of some of the world’s young people who are working to address SDGs using geospatial technologies and multi-national collaboration. Authors from every region of the world who have emerged as leaders in the YouthMappers movement share their perspectives and knowledge in an accessible and peer-friendly format. YouthMappers are university students who create and use open mapping for development and humanitarian purposes. Their work leverages digital innovations - both geospatial platforms and communications technologies - to answer the call for leadership to address sustainability challenges. The book conveys a sense of robust knowledge emerging from formal studies or informal academic experiences - in the first-person voices of students and recent graduates who are at the forefront of creating a new map of the world. YouthMappers use OpenStreetMap as the foundational sharing mechanism for creating data together. Authors impart the way they are learning about themselves, about each other, about the world. They are developing technology skills, and simultaneously teaching the rest of the world about the potential contributions of a highly connected generation of emerging world leaders for the SDGs. The book is timely, in that it captures a pivotal moment in the trajectory of the YouthMappers movement’s ability to share emerging expertise, and one that coincides with a pivotal moment in the geopolitical history of planet earth whose inhabitants need to hear from them. Most volumes that cover the topic of sustainability in terms of youth development are written by non-youth authors. Moreover, most are written by non-majoritarian, entrenched academic scholars. This book instead puts forward the diverse voices of students and recent graduates in countries where YouthMappers works, all over the world. Authors cover topics that range from water, agriculture, food, to waste, education, gender, climate action and disasters from their own eyes in working with data, mapping, and humanitarian action, often working across national boundaries and across continents. To inspire readers with their insights, the chapters are mapped to the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in ways that connect a youth agenda to a global agenda. With a preface written by Carrie Stokes, Chief Geographer and GeoCenter Director, United States Agency for International Development (USAID). This is an open access book